Transformations in progress

Handmade footwear merges with 3D printing technology. Presented at the Graduate Expo of London College of Fashion, "A Wrong Mongrel" is a collection of 8 leather boots for men designed by Ross Barber.

It’s neither barbed wire nor a new species of organic coral that is able with time to extend on the outsole of your shoes like a technological ivy.

The elaborate net-like mass that envelops Barber’s shoes is composed of nylon and is made using 3D printing. According to Ross, the cost of the material and the process is not sustainable for a commercial prototype, so for now it’s presented as an experimental project.

The idea behind "A Wrong Mongrel" is that of discarding the conventional design process in favor of an approach guided by technique. From a functional object, the printed nylon "tendril" thus becomes an aesthetic decoration.

With this experiment, Ross wants to show the metamorphosis that occurs in the design process, in which each of the 8 "Metamorphosis" soles represents a different stage of the mutation.

The reticulate indeed resembles an acute acne breakout rising on the skin, engulfing and dominating it like a weed. To us it suggests not only the function which is not strictly decorative or the decadent effect of a vine, but also the ability to favor acoustic and thermal isolation.